When the Tigers Broke Free
by LieutenantX
Summary: Dr. Cush-Renada and OZ Inc. plan to destroy the Evangelion units, preventing the Third Impact. Will the Gundams defeat the Evas and prevent disaster? Only one way to find out! READ! (Now with legal and artistic disclaimer!)


A note to my reviewers: Phew! Now I know what it's like to get sued! You scratch your head, wonder 'how did that happen', and then get your ass in gear writing up something that denies all responsibility!  
  
Legal Diclaimer: I do not own Evangelion, Gundam, or any other work I may happen to mention herein.  
  
Artistic Disclaimer: I admit that I take quite a few artistic liberties in this fic'. Okay, so I flat-out fudged some things. For one, the Gundams and Evas are made out to be roughly the same size. For those of you needing a mental picture, the Gundams are enlarged to Eva size, not the other way around. The Evas are made out to be considerably weaker than they actually are to give the Gundams a chance in hell. I mean, doesn't it just kill the fun to have an AT-field automatically pick off EVERY attack? Where's your sense of drama? Of course. You agree. Also, there's the odd fact that Treize isn't trying to kill the Gundam pilots and vice-versa. I claim artistic liberty. It seems to fit in a strange enough way. Some of you may think that this is a bad idea, or I don't know what I'm talking about. *Leers at his reviewers* I think it's a good idea! I like it! I don't see what your problem is, bloody nit-picking ingrates! Stop complaining the Evas are so-and-so tall and the Gundams will last as long as Rob Schneider against Mike Tyson and enjoy the fusion of two national pastimes! The American pastime of fudging countless details in order to bring two super- cool heroes together (or against each other, as the case may be), and the Japanese pastime of giant robots wreaking wanton mayhem in Tokyo! I'm not trying to make a saga or an epic, or anything that even remotely makes sense (Hell, if you're looking for sense, why are you watching Eva?)! I'm trying to have a few giant robots the living Jesus out of each other!  
  
Oh, yes, and DAMN YOU MICROSOFT WORD! WHY WON'T YOU FORMAT RIGHT?!  
  
Shinji Ikari rolled out of bed, mumbling incoherently.  
  
Asuka Langley Soryu rolled out of bed, mumbling incoherently.  
  
Misato Katsuragi rolled over in bed and smashed her alarm clock's snooze button hard enough to send cracks across the LCD screen.  
  
'There's the sun. Time to get going again, I guess.' Thought Shinji.  
  
'Oh, man! Why does the sun have to come every morning and wake me up? And on a Saturday! Scheist... Stupid Shinji. This is all his fault.' Thought Asuka.  
  
'ZZZZZzzzzzzZZZZZZZzzzzzzzZzZZZ...' Thought Misato. A loud ringing filled her ears. She smacked her alarm clock again. The ringing continued. She heaved the clock against the wall. The ringing continued. She moaned and began to prepare herself for the difficult task of dragging herself out of bed and chunking it out the window when she heard a voice. Her voice.  
  
"Hi! I'm not here right now, but if you want to leave a message, well, you know." BEEP! "Misato?" 'Oh, man. Ritsuko's calling me now? Something has to have come up.' She thought. "Misato, I know you don't even think of getting up this early, so I know you're there. Misato?" Misato put a pillow over her head. "Misatoooooo? Time to get uuuuuup!"  
  
'Why is this woman my friend?' Misato wondered as she reached past her gun (stored very unsafely), past various articles of clothing, and of course, past empty cans of beer for the receiver. She bumped it, knocking it off the hook, but snatched it from the carpet. Rather than moving her head, she brought the phone under the pillow with her.  
  
"Misato?" "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?!" "Misato, did you know I have an interesting file on my desk?"  
  
"For your sake, it had better be very, VERY interesting!"  
  
"Oh, it is. Someone else is trying to replace NERV."  
  
"What?"  
  
Misato was steadily coming around.  
  
"Mm-hmm. Do you remember Jet Alone?" "Don't remind me."  
  
"Sorry. But the corporate world is at it again."  
  
Misato groaned.  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
"The world conglomerate company."  
  
"You mean Oz?"  
  
"Yep. They're building new anti-angel weapons platforms."  
  
"Weapons platforms? Haven't those proven to be useless?"  
  
"That's what makes this so interesting."  
  
Misato was fully awake now. She reached for a skirt and pushed off the covers.  
  
"I'm on my way."  
  
(Oz Corporate HQ, somewhere in eastern France:)  
  
The man relaxed in the warm water, the rose fragrance adding so much to the subtle texture of the soaps. He kept his eyes closed, savoring the sensations without the need of sight. "Sir?"  
  
"Sorry, Lady Uhn."  
  
"Is the time all right?"  
  
"Yes, yes, perfectly fine."  
  
"Very well. I will pass that on."  
  
"Good. Leave me. I need time to relax." "Yes, sir." She left, and Treize sighed, opening his eyes. The room was based on Greek architecture, pillars, tiles, and arches. He could see trees past the column. So very peaceful... This was what he hoped to preserve with the project, yes. He felt that so much work had finally paid off, all his research, and thousands of hours designing, testing, doing all the things that Mr. Cush-Renada (he abhorred 'Doctor') was supposed to do. Now, they all melted away.  
  
Five of them. Five of the most perfect machines designed to take life, all named by their pilots. The first had named his the Sandrock, as some tribute to his desert heritage. The second, Deathscythe, showing that the pilot lacked imagination. Treize had felt almost certain that the name of some demon would pop up. Beelzebub, perhaps. The third named his after a dead lover. Nataku. Treize popped his neck in the bath. How sweet. It unnerved him, though. That boy had a look in his eyes. Treize felt that he knew too much. The fourth had named his Heavyarms. That boy had the same look in his eyes, but not the drive behind it. Still, he was capable of relating with others. The final boy sent chills down Treize's spine. Together, the weapons were to be called Gundam Wing. Therefore, the boy had simply named his machine Wing Gundam. His was a fire without flame. He lived... but seemed distant to the point of disembodiment. He had heard of another like him, her existence a secret he knew would get him killed if anyone knew he knew. A girl named Rei. But further studies of this most remarkable boy would have to wait until the dust settled.  
  
There was a final Gundam, one to keep all the others in check. It was powerful enough that only a special, near perfect specimen of humanity in reflex, body, and mental stability could survive piloting it. Tallgeese. The name was that of the project's original creator, the sick mind that spawned the theorems behind these machines, Dr. Tallgeese. Treize's late granduncle, but that was beside the point. Poor fellow met with an unfortunate end. He took a long walk off a short catwalk. Treize smiled. And the pilot. Zechs Marquise, the legendary Zechs Marquise. Tallgeese was to be kept on reserve. Should something appear outside the Gundam Wing's capabilities, an unlikely prospect, but possible, or, God forbid, a Gundam were to go out of control as in the Jet Alone incident, Zechs and Tallgeese would be deployed to neutralize the weapon. The Eva series' sorties had demonstrated that the Angels constantly adapted and attempted new tactics, each time prodding, trying to find a weakness to exploit. This way, they had one more secret, one more trump card, and one more safety.  
  
(Two weeks later, Project Meteor press release.)  
  
"No. The alternate fuel source is incapable of going out of control as with nuclear power. There will be no repeat of the Jet Alone incident."  
  
Cameras clicked almost constantly. Dr. Cush-Renada stood at the podium, wearing the finery that Oz's higher-ups were oddly fond of. Misato scratched an itch behind her ear, but otherwise remained slumped over the table. Ritsuko, sitting on her right, paid very close attention. She waited calmly for her chance, then stood.  
  
"Dr. Akagi, NERV. What about the pilots of these machines? You have released no psychological data concerning them, other than the fact that they are civilians with no previous combat training. How can we be sure that they can handle piloting these machines?"  
  
Treize considered his reply.  
  
"You are Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, one of the leading scientists behind Project EVA, correct?"  
  
Ritsuko nodded.  
  
"Well, I think that you should remain concerned about the mental stability of your own pilots, of which you still have not even released their names. Doctor, as part of the tandem deployment agreement you know full well about, we will be permitting you and you alone to meet with each of our pilots, in person." Ritsuko sat back down, satisfied. "Xang Sung-Min, People's Daily, Doctor, what can you tell us about the gundanium alloy that composes these machines?"  
  
"The production method, I'm afraid, is a closely guarded secret, however, I can tell you that it is far stronger than any metal currently known to man, and can withstand physical stress greater than anything exerted by the known types of Angel. Are there any more questions?" "Jack Lexington, Chicago Tribune, what about deployment concerns?" "That has all been arranged through the different branches of Oz. We will remain responsible for the deployment of each Gundam during each sortie." Ritsuko sighed.  
  
"Well, he's certainly well prepared."  
  
Misato sloshed the ice around in her drink. "You know, I don't want to jinx it, but this might make our job a lot easier." Ritsuko continued. Her expression became stony again. 'But,' she thought,  
  
'What if they find out about what the Evas really are?'  
  
After the conference, Treize walked to his car. His bootheels clicked against the concrete flooring of the parking garage. A breeze wafted through the building, ruffling his hair a bit.  
  
"So, you think that Gundam will replace Eva?"  
  
Treize stopped and turned to face an old acquaintance.  
  
"Dr. Ikari. It's been a long time."  
  
Gendo stood in the shadows, his glasses reflecting the dim light in a bright glare. "Many things have changed, Treize. What do you hope to accomplish with these. parodies of the Eva units?"  
  
"You never did have respect for the work of others."  
  
"Tell me exactly what you know, Treize."  
  
"Many, many things."  
  
"What do you know, Treize?" "There is no reason for me to tell you."  
  
"I will not ask again. What, exactly, do you know?" "That you're insane!"  
  
Treize had an out of character burst of anger. Gendo went unfazed.  
  
"So, you understand the real purpose of Eva."  
  
"Yes. Yes I do."  
  
"The Gundams have a hidden purpose as well. They were not intended as Anti- Angel units at all."  
  
"No. Ever the quick wit, Gendo."  
  
"You think that you can destroy Eva?"  
  
"It is all I can do. It's either the death of your creation, or the death of us all." "We will see, Treize." "Yes, we shall see."  
  
"Why do we have to meet with her, anyway?" Asked one boy, a cap on his head. "It's a part of the cooperation agreement between NERV and Oz." Agent Noin replied. They were calmly moving down the halls of the Japanese branch of Oz. "What's the worst that could happen, right Duo?" Quatre asked.  
  
"Still, she's with the government."  
  
"Well, it's actually the U.N. That's not really a government! I think." "Some day you're going to have to tell us just what happened to you." Trowa remarked. "I'd rather not."  
  
"All right, quiet, we're here." Noin ordered.  
  
Ritsuko lay next to Gendo in bed, her eyes closed. She curled up against his right side, her arms wrapped around his own, like a child who cannot fit her arms around her father's waist, and must make do with one long, strong, muscular limb. This was the only time he was without his glasses. She... She felt that it was at this time, feeling his warmth, his smooth, soft skin, even the scratch of his beard against her own face. It was at this time that she felt she really, truly, could love this man. This man that seemed to exist without a soul, without thought. Now, though, she felt that somewhere, deep inside him, was a spark, ready to become flame. "You met with the pilots today." "Yes."  
  
"Tell me about them."  
  
("Step forward and state your name."  
  
"Quatre."  
  
"Chang Wufei." "Trowa Barton."  
  
"Duo Maxwell."  
  
"Hero Yui.")  
  
"There's one of them that acts alarmingly like our daughter."  
  
That was what Ritsuko called Rei, in her darkest, quietest moments alone with Gendo. In those moments, her fantasy, a truth just out of grasp, would become the real truth. A bit strange, for her to want motherhood so badly.  
  
Perhaps a part of her knew she would never reach it.  
  
"Yes, I thought as much. He pilots the Wing Gundam."  
  
"Yeah. How did you guess?"  
  
"I know Treize would never put anyone else in control of it."  
  
("What is your earliest memory?" Hero shook his head.  
  
"I'm not at liberty to disclose that information.")  
  
"He may have been created using a similar process to Rei." He continued. Ritsuko lifted her head from his chest and looked at his face, as unemotional as it would be if they were discussing mathematics, the weather, or the fate of all mankind. "But he'd have to have been created..."  
  
"Fifteen years ago, yes. Treize has known about Project EVA from the moment it was underway, and is choosing now as his time to attack."  
  
"What about SEELE?"  
  
"SEELE has been unable to control Oz for years. They can't be infiltrated. It infuriates the old men." Ritsuko lowered her head back to Gendo's chest.  
  
"He wants to destroy the Evas."  
  
"Yes."  
  
She held onto him tighter.  
  
"That won't happen, right?" "No. It is an unacceptable outcome."  
  
"I wonder who Hero used to be?"  
  
Hero wondered who he used to be. Hell, he wondered if he'd ever really been anybody.  
  
Gundam. A weapon of destruction. A gigantic shell with no soul.  
  
I am it's soul? I make it move. I am it's mind?  
  
No, that's not right...  
  
"Hey."  
  
Hero was standing on a catwalk, staring the Wing Gundam in it's now-dark eyes. Duo Maxwell approached him from his right side. They stood in a titanic hangar, large enough to house all five of the Gundams. Tomorrow, they would leave, and never return. If they survived, their new base of operations would be the Japanese Geo-Front. 'After all...', rang Treize's words in his head, 'Why go through the bother of building a new base when there will be a fully operational, unoccupied one sitting about gathering dust?' "Hey." Replied Hero, otherwise not registering Duo's presence. "Can you believe it?" "You mean the briefing?" "Yeah."  
  
"The EVA units."  
  
"I never would have considered it. But we're justified now."  
  
"Still, their pilots..."  
  
"It doesn't matter. They all accepted the risks."  
  
Duo thought for a moment.  
  
"I guess that we're just doing our mission."  
  
"Destroy the angels." Duo recited.  
  
"Destroy the angels." Agreed Hero.  
  
Destroy the angels.  
  
Destroy them all. DESTROY THE ANGELS.  
  
DESTROY THEM ALL.  
  
DESTROY THE ANGELS.  
  
DESTROY EVANGELION!  
  
The whine of the O/S startup filled Hero's ears. The cockpit's internal lights came on. He gripped the controls, and the steely look he had during combat fit over his face like a mask.  
  
"One. Wing Gundam reports no anomalies. Gundam Wing, report in."  
  
"Two. Nataku. I'm ready." "Three. Deathscythe, Energy banks full. No red lights."  
  
"Four. Heavyarms, all ammunition stable, all startup procedures normal." "Five. Sandrock. All systems green! C'mon, let's go!" The voices crackled over his radio. "Roger that. Gundams, move out."  
  
Mechanics waved at them from catwalks, always amazed by the spectacle of these titans.  
  
Birds took flight over a section of hillside near Tokyo three. It opened, revealing the Gundam hangar. Five killing machines walked calmly from it.  
  
(Cue Evangelion: "Something Unexpected and Very Bad's Theme")  
  
"Energy reading near the Tokyo-3 Gundam Hangar!"  
  
"An angel?!" Misato yelled at the tech.  
  
"Blood type- No blood type! The targets are mechanical!" "The Gundams are launching? Get Oz on the phone, now! I want to talk to that lunatic Cush-Renada!"  
  
The Gundams began to walk towards the city.  
  
Commanders Ikari and Fyutski stepped off the elevator and took up their usual positions inside central dogma. "No response! They say they will only speak to Commander Ikari!" Misato looked at her superior.  
  
"Sir?" "Launch the Evas."  
  
"What? Why..."  
  
She looked at the main viewscreen, then back at Gendo.  
  
"Are you saying that we should destroy the Gundams?!" "We're receiving a transmission!" "Put it through!" Misato ordered.  
  
A face appeared on NERV's main viewscreen. Misato did not recognize it. No one truly recognized the face. However, Gendo stared stonily at his eyes. Deep, deep down in his heart a chill fluttered about. His eyes were like Rei's. Scarily so. "NERV. This is the pilot of the Wing Gundam. You have thirty seconds to prepare Tokyo-3 for battle. Until Evangelion is deployed, I have orders to destroy everything in sight."  
  
Another voice cut in over the radio. "This isn't the plan, One! We're not supposed to communicate with them!"  
  
"Prepare Tokyo-3 for combat!" Misato yelled. The skyscrapers began to retract.  
  
"Quiet, Two. Commander Ikari. If you can hear me, I will destroy these abominations you have created." Gendo was silent. Hero's face winked out.  
  
"All right. Time's up. Let's start shooting things." Chang radioed. The Gundams began unleashing wanton chaos about Tokyo-3. "How long do you expect before the Evas appear?" Trowa asked.  
  
"About four minutes, I'd say." Quatre replied.  
  
"Nah. No one can mobilize that fast. Eight, tops." Duo chimed in.  
  
"Cut the chatter." Hero ordered. Much to all their surprise, a pair of rails shot from the ground. A hole opened and... Unit-01. Shinji gripped the controls tightly.  
  
There's no time for a real mission briefing. If it's more than ten stories tall and moving, kill it!  
  
A second pair shot from the ground. Unit-02 stepped from the Eva emergence point. Asuka carried a spear. She was nearest the Sandrock.  
  
"Hey, you, hot stuff! Who said you could come in here and destroy our city?" She lept at Quatre. He crossed his heat blades. Asuka threw her spear, javelening it at Quatre's Mobile Suit. He trapped it between the crossed blades, stopping it's momentum feet away from the mecha's body. He loosened his weapons' grip on it, and tossed it aside. He struck a martial arts combat pose.  
  
"Evangelion."  
  
"Ja! You like?" Asuka ran at him. He swung both blades in a scissors attack. Asuka ducked and swept the Sandrock's legs from beneath it. It fell and hit the ground hard. Eva tightened it's massive leg muscles, gracefully throwing its mass over the fallen mecha in a flip that suspended it above the ground for a few moments, parallel to the fallen Sandrock. It landed, spreading it's legs in a graceful pose, the grabbing the Sandrock's head in a one hand. It tightened it's fingers, intending to crush in the metallic skull, when a red light lit on her HUD.  
  
"VHAT?"  
  
She extended her AT Field behind her without a moment to spare. Missiles crashed against the barrier by the dozen. She rolled to the side, the missiles, and now hails of bullets, tracking her. She ran the other way, grabbing one of the Sandrock's blades. She threw it at the attacking mecha. It revolved into a blur as it flew. Trowa sidestepped, the Heavyarms nearly sporting a new weapon in it's chest. The Sandrock began to pick itself up.  
  
Unit-00 lay prone on a nearby hill. Rei watched the battle below. Her finger tightened on the trigger...  
  
"Five, status!" Trowa barked.  
  
"I'm okay..."  
  
Duo cut him off. "ENERGY READING, ON THE..."  
  
There was a twinkle. It elongated into a lance of purple light. The lance buried itself in the Sandrock's chest. Trowa spotted Unit-02 charging him. He opened fire on it. The lance dissipated after a moment. The Sandrock did not move. "Five! Five! DAMMIT!" Duo yelled over the comm.  
  
"These guys are no civilians." Misato whispered to herself, back in Central Dogma.  
  
'Code numbers, status reports, they've been trained a lot more than Treize let on. Why doesn't anyone tell me these things?!'  
  
"Sniper on the hill! Four, handle it!" Duo continued. Asuka was steadily walking toward Trowa, the missiles bouncing harmlessly off her AT field.  
  
"Busy! Help me and I will!"  
  
"Copy!" Deathscythe made a run for Unit Two, blade pulled back and ready to swing. "Gah! Another one?" Asuka whined. Duo swung at her. The Eva's left hand grabbed the shaft of the scythe, stopping the Gundam's attack. It's right arm came back, then forward, giving the mecha a strong hook across the jaw.  
  
Trowa had been freed of the temporary crisis, and used the opportunity to target where the shot had come from. He opened fire, giving the sniper nest every ounce of firepower the Heavyarms could muster.  
  
Rei did what every sniper did when confronted with this situation. She ran like hell, explosions detonating around her feet, bullets digging a short ways into Unit-00's armor. She powered along the hillside, looking for cover. She fired a few low-power rounds at the attacker, missing terribly and not shaking Trowa's infallible aim.  
  
While the battle between the other mecha raged, Shinji stood off with the Wing Gundam and the Nataku. "Attention, pilot of Eva Unit One." Hero called over the comm. Shinji's face appeared on his screen. The boy looked at Hero, but did not say anything. "You will be given one chance. Eject and run, or I will destroy you."  
  
"We will destroy you." Corrected the pilot of the Nataku on a sound-only interjection.  
  
Shinji's expression did not change. He pressed a button, and the face of Wing Gundam's pilot disappeared.  
  
The Eva had emerged between the two Gundams, walking onto the street and facing the Wing Gundam. The Wing Gundam readied it's main cannon. Wufei let out a battle yell, raising the Nataku's beam glaive as it charged at Unit- 01.  
  
"SHINJI! BEHIND YOU!" Misato yelled. Unit-01 spun around. Wufei brought his glaive back behind his head, ready to split the Eva from head to groin. Unit-01 gave Nataku a solid punch across the jaw. This inflicted no damage, but slowed it down for a moment.  
  
"Two! Move out of the way!" Hero ordered. The Eva took advantage of the stunned mecha and grabbed it's face with it's massive left hand. It slammed the Nataku into one of the buildings lining the street and pinned it there. Eva reached for it's progressive knife. The Nataku held onto it's own weapon weakly, Wufei too disoriented to fight. Hero holstered the Wing Gundam's rifle and drew both his beam sabers. He charged towards the Eva. It had managed to draw it's primary weapon. Hero doubted that even gundanium could withstand a progressive knife. Unit 01's head snapped to look at him. As he closed, the Eva wrenched Nataku from the wall and flung it in Hero's path. "Hero!" Wufei yelled.  
  
Hero planted the mecha's weight before catching the Nataku, It slumped in his arms, Wufei still stunned. Then, the ground shook. Unit-01 had leapt skyward, the progressive knife brought back behind it's head. The Wing Gundam's arms were still entangled with Nataku's, immobilizing his beam sabers. Eva-01 landed, driving it's progressive knife into the back of Nataku's neck. Sparks flew and Wufei screamed. The mecha's eyes went dark. Hero threw it aside.  
  
"You!"  
  
He raised his beam sabers, ready to strike down the Evangelion. The Eva leapt backwards, putting distance between them. "Die, Angel!" Hero yelled on an open channel. Shinji's eyes widened.  
  
"Angel?" "What? You mean they didn't tell you?" The pilot of the Heavyarms radioed.  
  
Shinji looked at the comm windows belonging to the two pilots in surprise.  
  
"The Evas are-"  
  
The boxes disappeared. Gendo's voice filled the cockpit.  
  
"Ignore those transmissions, Pilot. Fight!" "Father..."  
  
"Do it! Now!"  
  
Hero had found the best way to win. None of the pilots knew the Eva's secrets. Still standing off against Unit-01, his fingers flew across the controls. They were jamming the frequency he had contacted Shinji on. He reformatted it to transmit on Central Dogma's own frequency. Memorizing trivialities paid off. He would have to thank Treize later for preparing them so thoroughly for this mission. "Pilot. Listen to me."  
  
Shinji's eyes widened as Hero's voice filled the cockpit.  
  
Gendo leapt out of his chair, sweat beading on his brow. He banged a fist on the railing in front of him. For the first time since Fyutski had known him, he was in a panic. "Jam that frequency!"  
  
"Sir, the pilot will have a total communications blackout!"  
  
"DO IT!"  
  
"The Evangelion units are clones of the First Angrble. Ad-iman." Static garbled the transmission. Hero's face blurred on Shinji's screen, eventually becoming nothing but meaningless static.  
  
"Re-establish contact on a new channel!"  
  
Maya spoke up.  
  
"Contact with Unit-01 will be re-established in twenty-eight seconds."  
  
Deep within Oz's Tokyo-3 branch, Treize smiled as he watched the battle unfold on a wall of monitors. He almost wished for a bag of popcorn instead of his glass of wine.  
  
"How do you think the battle is going, Lady Uhn?" His assistant stood at the back of the room. "Very well, sir. Very well."  
  
"Father! Father!"  
  
Shinji howled at the static.  
  
"Father! What is this? What is Unit-01? Father, answer me!"  
  
"Contact is back on-line."  
  
"Shinji, do not question your orders! Fight!"  
  
"Tell me what this thing is!"  
  
"Fight. Now!"  
  
Hero had had enough of this. He charged at Unit-01, beam sabers at the ready. Shinji, confronted with the fight-or-die situation, sidestepped the Wing Gundam's high-low slash with it's right arm, and caught the wrist of it's follow-up slice. Wrenching it, the beam saber fell to the ground, leaving the Wing Gundam with only one of it's two blades. Unit-01 used it's leverage to throw the Wing Gundam through a building, causing the structure to collapse around the robot. It's rifle became buried somewhere in the wreckage. It was going to take Hero a moment to dig himself from the rubble. As Unit-01 towered over him, he realized it was a moment he didn't have. The dual guns mounted on either side of the Gundam's head sprang to life, spewing hundreds of rounds each second at the Evangelion. A few ricocheted off the armor plates before the AT-Field came online and began killing the momentum of the bullets before they could do any harm. Evangelion Unit-01 raised a titanic foot and placed it against Wing Gundam's neck, in the pose of a martial artist who is about to snap his foe's neck with a twist of his ankle.  
  
Treize frowned.  
  
"Lady Uhn?"  
  
"Yes, sir?"  
  
"Deploy the Tallgeese."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
She bowed and left the room.  
  
Rei finally dove behind a rock outcropping. Now that Unit-00 crouched behind cover, she busied herself at the keyboard as she set the rifle to charge for a full power shot. She wired the visual information from the sniper's scope directly into her HUD, and eased it around the corner. The recoil of the shot would easily snap it from her hand and into the mountain, scrapping it, but if her plan worked...  
  
Trowa continued unloading everything he had on that outcropping. He watched it give way. Unit-00 was exposed! Now he would- Click. Oh, hell. Click. Click. Click. OH, HELL!  
  
Rei cried out as her cover gave way, waiting for missiles to tear into Unit- 00, the entry plug most likely wouldn't survive! She had to eject! Then, nothing. She stared down the hillside. The Heavyarms continued trying to find an unspent round somewhere in it's vast, useless weaponry. Rei lined up her shot, kneeling. She might not need to sacrifice her rifle after all. The crosshairs lined up... BEEP!  
  
"C'mon c'mon c'mon..."  
  
Trowa pulled at his triggers again and again. "One missile! Just one!"  
  
Then, he felt the light shudder of his mecha as two late-firing missiles left their racks.  
  
"YE-"  
  
A bolt of purple lightning lashed through his cockpit, destroying the two missiles in the process. Trowa Barton was no more.  
  
Unit-02 wrenched the Gundam Deathscythe to the ground by it's own weapon. Duo rolled and used his own leverage on the Scythe to pull and trip the Eva over his fallen body, and regain control of his weapon. Unit-02 crashed to the ground. Asuka's head slammed against the controls as it fell, stunning her. Blood floated away from a cut on her forehead, mixing with the LCL. He brought it back for another swing, ready to impale Unit-02 on the weapon. As he brought it down, Unit-02 rolled out of the way, and kicked Deathscythe's legs out from under him. Dizzily, it righted itself, and half leapt, half fell on top of the other mecha, pinning it, one hand on each shoulder. She brought her right fist back to cave in it's face. Duo smiled, almost sadistically.  
  
'Idiot.' He thought to himself. He raised his now-free left fist level with the Eva's face. The tiny jets in his flying drill began to activate. Asuka's eyes widened, and her face slackened as she realized what was about to happen.  
  
"Goodbye, Angel!" Duo screamed.  
  
"Shinji! Finish it!" Misato ordered, gripping a control console with white- knuckles.  
  
Eva Unit-01's heel rose above the Gundam's head... and fell.  
  
Hero sat in the darkness. Wing Gundam was incapacitated. He had failed. He still had power to the cockpit. He supposed that was a blessing. "Hey, pilot." A voice whispered over the comm. He felt a loud crash next to him.  
  
"Who's there?" He asked. "My name is Shinji. I'm the pilot of Unit-01."  
  
"You won."  
  
There was a pause.  
  
"I still want to know about Eva."  
  
Hero told him everything he knew.  
  
Unit-01 had crushed the Gundam's head. Cheers rang out through Central Dogma. Misato radioed a congratulation to Shinji... Which he completely ignored. Unit-01 did the strangest thing. It sat. Next to the wreckage of the Wing Gundam, it sat in the rubble with an earth shaking crash. It seemed like a giant philosopher sitting beneath a cherry blossom tree. Only it was giant weapon sitting on top of a destroyed building. "Shinji! Shinji!"  
  
Gendo swallowed nervously. This was not good. Not good at all.  
  
"Sir! We're picking up a low-power transmission passing between Unit-01 and the Gundam! The Gundam still has power!"  
  
Gendo banged both fists on the railing and screamed a phrase vulgar enough to peel paint from the walls. There was silence in Central Dogma. "Father."  
  
"Shinji. You know, now."  
  
"I'm not fighting anymore."  
  
Gendo stood.  
  
"Very well then. Return the Eva to the bay..."  
  
"Sir! Developments on Unit-02!"  
  
The drill bored through Unit-02's skull. Asuka's scream rang through Central Dogma as Unit-02 collapsed on top of Deathscythe. The flying drill flew through a wide arc, then returned to it's master. The robot pushed the Eva's decapitated form off from itself, and hefted it's scythe as it stood.  
  
"Asuka! Asuka!" Shinji screamed.  
  
"Damn you!"  
  
Rei watched from the hillside, her gun ready. If Shinji met with trouble, she would kill the enemy with a single shot.  
  
"Sir! Something's approaching at incredible speed!"  
  
"ANOTHER GUNDAM!"  
  
Zechs Marquise streaked across the sky, the Tallgeese ready for battle. It streaked toward the sniper's nest. Telemetry had been taken from the Eva. It's rifle functioned by focusing the Unit's AT field, leaving it vulnerable when it carried a fully charged attack. Zechs had been waiting under camouflage for this through the entire battle, and now he would have revenge for the destruction of two Gundams! The Tallgeese crashed into Unit- 00 and slammed it into the hillside. The Unit struggled for a moment as Zechs pinned it by the throat. He used his free hand to draw his beam saber and without a word, bisected Unit-00 from head to groin. The two halves crashed to the ground, steam rising from each.  
  
"Rei! Rei! Respond!"  
  
Shinji heard his father over the radio. Rei wasn't calling back. That meant the entry plug... no...  
  
Ayanami... Asuka... Hero... Angels...  
  
His mind filled with images. "No! I won't let this happen again!" His sentence trailed off in a battle cry.  
  
Evangelion Unit-01 echoed it, the bellow reverberating throughout Tokyo-3. The Deathscythe held it's ground, though Duo suddenly felt that running like hell was a good idea. Unit-01 broke into a run at the Deathscythe. Duo screamed and raised his scythe. Unit-01 grabbed the mecha by the wrists, then, with it's other hand, grabbed the scythe just below the blade and, with a flick of it's wrist, snapped the head off like it was made of plastic. Electricity arced from the end of the ruined weapon. Duo's eyes widened in terror. Unit-01 released Deathscythe's wrists, then, each mighty hand grabbed one of the robot's shoulders. It roared again, then it's muscles bulged as it ripped the Deathscythe's arms clean from their sockets. It threw each on away, then moved on to grab the mecha by the neck and crush it's neck. It slammed the ruined Gundam to the ground and began to rip away the armor plating, strewing the components all about.  
  
Treize chewed nervously on his lower lip. It would all come down to a one on one, and they would see just whose creation was better. He would defeat Gendo. He had to. For the sake of humanity.  
  
Tallgeese took off again and flew for Eva-01, beam saber drawn. The Eva raised it's head to look the attacker. Tallgeese again used it's mass to ram the mecha. Zechs deftly swiped his beam saber through the Eva's umbilical, it's only weakness. The timer began to count down on Shinji's HUD.  
  
Gendo had settled down again and watched the fight with the same maddening calm as always.  
  
Unit-01 was pinned beneath the enemy. Zechs brought his beam saber back, aiming to stab it through the monster's skull. The Eva flexed it's titanic muscles again, and the Tallgeese was thrown forward onto it's face. Zechs swore as his beam saber bounced eight full city blocks out of his reach. He rolled over onto his back with just enough time to catch Unit-01 as it tried to pin him. He tried to throw it off from him, using it's own momentum to. NO! He tried to kill the momentum, but it was to great. Unit- 01 nimbly leapfrogged over Tallgeese and snatched up the still-burning beam saber. Tallgeese scrabbled to it's feet and charged at Unit-01. Unit-01 charged at Tallgeese. Tallgeese swung it's fists clasped together at Unit- 01's head. The Eva ducked the attack. Tallgeese overbalanced as the Eva passed.  
  
Treize leapt from his seat and ran to the screen.  
  
"NO!"  
  
FRWANG!  
  
Tallgeese fell. Eva discarded the saber. It hit the ground, sputtered, and went out. Sparks flew from the Tallgeese. Zechs watched in horror as each of his dials climbed to dangerous levels...  
  
FRAPOOM!  
  
The Tallgeese detonated. Unit-01 collapsed facedown in the street.  
  
The entry plug ejected from Unit-01, and Shinji half climbed, half fell onto the back of the Unit amid a wash of LCL. He blacked out for a while.  
  
His vision came back for a few minutes. He was on a stretcher. Above him, though everything was a little blurry, he could make out a definite form.  
  
"Ms. Misato?" She looked down at him, smiled, and flashed him a thumbs up.  
  
"Shinji, you were great out there!"  
  
He fell back into the darkness.  
  
"Mr. Ikari."  
  
To say that SEELE was very unhappy did not begin to describe it. SEELE was furious. SEELE was hopping mad. SEELE was incredibly, undeniably, irrevocably pissed at the man that sat at their table.  
  
"Mr. Ikari, give us a single reason to keep you in command of this operation." "I'm the only one who can complete it."  
  
"That is not true." Gendo's eyebrows rose.  
  
"Not true?" "Dr. Cush-Renada." "What?!" The door behind Gendo opened. A familiar figure was silhouetted inside. Gendo did not turn to look. He knew what was coming. He heard the sound of Treize drawing his rapier. The click of his well-polished bootheels approaching the table. The soft slapping sound as his rival tapped the flat of the blade against the palm of his hand. "Come, Gendo. Turn around and face me like a man." Gendo did not move. "Very well then." Treize smiled. He had been waiting for this.  
  
The visored leader of SEELE gave the order.  
  
"Commander Cush-Renada, dispose of Mr. Ikari."  
  
The Aftermath  
  
SEELE's spy within Oz, Dr. Treize Cush-Renada, defected back to SEELE's cause, and assumed command of NERV. The dummy plug project was scrapped, and all copies of Rei Ayanami were destroyed. Gendo Ikari disappeared without a trace. After the death of Rei Ayanami, Hero Yui was designated the Fourth child, and pilot of unit 00. Together, they defeated the Angels. Treize assured Asuka and Shinji that that was the end. He had no desire to see the Third Impact, and neither did SEELE.  
  
Hero, however, remained distant, and seemed to stay close to Treize at times. Alarmingly like Rei. Wasn't it odd? Gendo hadn't known everything about Hero's origins, but even he should have been able to see the tribute to the dummy plugs. It still puzzled Treize how his rival had never seen what had been implied by the name, Hero Yui.  
  
SEELE sat at their table, waiting.  
  
"Well, it seem that Ikari was wrong. SEELE will control the Third Impact after all." Yellow said. "Indeed a shame he couldn't be here to see it." Green added.  
  
Shinji sat inside the breakroom of NERV HQ, Asuka on his left, Hero on his right. Asuka filed her nails, while Hero and Shinji stared off into space.  
  
"So." Hero began.  
  
"What do we do now?" Asked Shinji  
  
"The Angels are all dead." Asuka remarked.  
  
"I guess the world won't need Evas anymore." The trademark click of Treize's bootheels. He appeared in the doorway, Lady Uhn in tow. He seemed to have a very businesslike air. Treize appeared in the doorway. "Hero Yui. Shinji Ikari. It's time."  
  
Hero mechanically stood and marched out the door, a blank look on his face. Asuka looked up, and Shinji's eyes followed him.  
  
"Hey, time for what?" Asked Asuka. "Yeah! Commander Cush-Renada, time for what?!" Shinji yelled after him. He stood and trotted out the door. Asuka shrugged and followed. "Stupid Shinji. This is all going to be his fault somehow."  
  
END 


End file.
